Cars bring back enjoyable memories

-Collector has more than 800 die-cast cars from England.

-Collector has more than 800 die-cast cars from England.

May 23, 2006|KIM KILBRIDE Tribune Staff Writer

Matchbox No. 31. A metallic green 1959 Ford Fairlane with a pinkish-tan roof. When Bill McKinney was 5 years old, it was his "24-hour car." Tucked into a shirt pocket, it went to school with him in England every day. Whenever an opportunity arose, he'd whip it out and zip it back and forth across his desk. The 51-year-old South Bend man still plays with the Fairlane -- or rather a replacement just like it -- along with hundreds of other pre-1970s British die-cast cars. McKinney's collection today contains more than 800 cars just like the ones he owned as a child. When he went away to college, his dad, not realizing the sentimental value of his son's collection, gave the originals away to a neighbor boy. So, starting in the '80s, McKinney set out to find again the sturdy Matchbox, Corgi and Dinky cars, all manufactured in England during the time his family lived there. Why so special? For McKinney, the cars are a connection to his past, to memories of playing for hours with his brother, John, and friends and neighbors, and of building huge networks of highways and marinas for their vehicles. "We could pool our resources and have everything from speedboats to garbage trucks to milk delivery vans," he said. "... But even if we didn't have buildings, we incorporated boxes and cans to represent buildings and structures." Ask McKinney to pick a favorite out of the hundreds that sit in mirrored display cases in his living room and without hesitating, he'll pull out a blue Mustang. He first bought this car when he was 11. It was 1966. He and his younger brother, John -- who died just seven years later -- rode a double-decker bus to Braintree for market days. They wanted to buy the newly released Mustang Fastback 2+2 they'd seen in ads, but hadn't been able to find it in the small shops on the Air Force base where they lived. On the way home, the boys sat in the coachman's seat on the upper level of the bus. When they opened their car boxes, they discovered that Bill had a silver one and John had a blue one. They both decided they liked the other's car better. So, they traded. Both boys loved the Mustangs. But they weren't put up on a shelf to be admired, McKinney said. They were the type of cars you could play with. Even now, a smile spreads across his face when pointing out their jewel headlights, chrome bumpers and working features. His Dinky Mercedes is another favorite. "You could run it into your Lincoln Logs or in the dirt," McKinney said. "Sometimes," he said, "I like the ones that are played with better than the ones that are pristine." It shows they have a past, that they've been enjoyed as much as his "24-hour car" was. His collection McKinney went to England for the first time when he was 5. His family returned for three years in the late 1960s. His intention, when he first started collecting cars again in the '80s, was twofold, he said. First, he wanted to find the cars he owned as a kid. Then, he wanted to find the cars he wanted as a kid but didn't have. His quest was successful. He bought cars via trade journals and toy magazines, garage and estate sales. His most expensive cost about $125. These days, his collection is just about complete. "I'm looking a lot, but not buying a lot," he said. Years and years later, his enthusiasm about his cars hasn't waned. He still gets excited when showing visitors a Batmobile that propels ammo out the back. The tiny rockets are long gone, so on this day, McKinney resorts to using toothpicks as rockets. "It's all about the fun of being a kid in the '60s," he said.Staff writer Kim Kilbride: kkilbride@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6554